Hydraulic clutch transmission



Aug. 28, l928 'nulli E. H. MGKINNEY HYDRAULIC CLUTCH TRANSMISSION Filed March 23, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llilll Il INVENTOR. EDWARD HMKINNEY BY wi/@4f ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

EDWARD H. MCKINNEY, SAL, KANSAS, ESIGNOE TO THT. HYDRAULIC SPE- GIALTY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF TOPEK, KANSAS, A. CORPORATON.

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH TRANSMISSON.

Application filed March 23, 1925. Serial No. 17,768.

and release of torque by means of a hydraulic clutch. s

The object of my invention is to provide a clutch to transmit and release a rotating force between a prime mover and ashaft or acent shafts, by means of the resisting force resulting; from pressure applied to a coniined liquid substance.

A further obiect of my invention is to provide a clutch mechanism which will eliminate the use of friction bands, disks. cones and any other means of transmission or release of power. which is performed through the friction of solic substances in bearing, which results in the inevitable failure of some phase of the. operating' parts.

A still further object of ny invention to provide a clutch mechanicm which has period of engagement so designed bring the driving end, and power recel, end into a direct connection in a smoo ,.1 and flexible manner independent of the slrill of the operator.

A still further object of my invention to provide a clutch in which no spring tension is employed as the holding means, but of a character that can be operated by the strength of a normal man, regardless of the size of the operating parts and power imposed. These and other objects will be hereinafter more fully explained, reference beine had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application in which like references refer to lilre parts throughout the various drawings. l

Fig. l:s is an internal View. parts removed for convenience of illustration.

2, is a half plan of the end bearing of the rotating,l mechanism` Fig. 3, is a longitudinal section, parts removed'for the convenience of illustration and showin the clutch in t ie enraged position.

Fig. Ll, is an elevation with parts removed for convenience of illustration and no hold.- ing bolts shown, but the clutch in disengaged position.

The mechanism herein described is mounted on a shaft l, the connecting end of which is hollow and having interposed therein a shaft 2, on which is mounted a cross head Radially extending therefrom are a pluralicy of connecting` links t, said links being pivotally connected to the cross head at one end and at the opposite end to blades 5, the said mechanism functioningT as a toggle, for opening .and closing said blades simultaneously. l.. -G passes thru shaft- 2. said pin engaging; in the -e/roove of collar 7. and being slidalily mounted in slots 2l in shaft l, by action of a-yolte 8, which is piro-tally mounted in a bearing' 9 supported by frame not shown. The said yoke has a handle as at l0. the sweep of which is indicated by dotted4 line A. hiovemcnt of the handle l). is transmitted to the shaft 2, resulting' in a. displacement or" the cross heed 3; such displacement shortens or lengthens the distance between the adjacent ed es of the blades 5. inv proportion to the length of the connecting' links il. which lare ln'uided in their action by quad-I rants il. which are rigidly fastened on one ond. to the be ne* 19 and at the opposite side t@ l 'ornndles and are integral in motion with the rolle i6, said rollers being of the diameter of the pitch line of the gears and bearing' i `letem'nned points on the periphery of the L eh line of the gear 13. The rollers 1G are aachined in a longitudinal direction, with a section removed as at B, the depth of said cut being;` determined by the extreme extension of blades 5, in coincidence with the inside of the adjacent part of the housing 17, the purpose of the cut B beine.` to allow the of the blade 5, and so timed as will be later deicribed. rEhe portion i7 of vthe housing serves asone bearing end for the rotating' parts, a container for the liquid used and as the transmitting part of the housing in general as shown at C. where it is so arranged that a shaft may be rigidly attached by means of a flanged coupling. The part "i8 of the housing when bolted to the part i7 serves as the container and beari points for the gears 18 and A, and acts as a supportingv bearing for the housing in general as shown at D. 19 is a fibrous packing.

It being; assumed for the purpose of de'- scription that the clutch is installed with a prime mover directly connected to the shaft l, and the shaft of the mechanism which will receive the delivered power is directly connected to the housing at the point C, the plugs 20rare removed and the interior of the housing is iilled to capacity with a fluid substance. Vhen the lever 10 is in position as shown in Fig. 3, the blades are extended against the housing 17 at the points E, the rotation of the shaft 1, is transmitted to blades 5 as previously described, and this rotation tends to displace the liquid contained in the space F between the periphery ot' the quadrants 11 and the housing 17. This displacement is blocked by means ot the rollers 16 when in the positions as indicated at G, and when the retardation has reached its maximum point, the blades 5 will have locked their rotation to the housing 17, and the power applied to the shaft 1, will be direct-ly transmitted to peint C. rlhe operation ot' roller 1G is so timed that any projection o1 blades 5 will be passed by means of the cut at B, pending maximum con'ipression. Tis/'hen the lever is in position as shown at Fig. 4, under the same operating conditions as heretolore described, the. blades 5 recede toward the cross head 3, until their extreme outer edges do not extend beyond the periphery of quadrants 1l, and the iuid 'in the space F is not compressed, thereby allowing the rotation of shaft 1, independent of rotation of the housing and t-he parts connected thereto, which is the release position ot the clutch. An intermediate position otl blades 5, as determined by the movement of the handle 10, give the-necessary easement of the application of the driving torque. Such modii'ications may be employed as lie within the scopev oi the appended claim.

Having fully described my invention, what I now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A hydraulic clutch mechanism comprising a drive shaft hollow towards the clutch end in its longitudinal axis; a second shaft coaxial with the drive shaft and operatively engaging for endwise sliding movements wit-hin the hollow end of the drive shaft and means tor occasioning such endwise movements of the second shal't; a housing member in two sections .as a fluid tight enclosure; a gear rigid with the drive shaft within the housing member and an end bea-ring for said second shal't also within the housing member; three spindles positioned at 120O apart with respect to each other around the second shaft element, and rotatably housed at their opposite endswithin bearings in the sideelements of the housing member, each spindle rotatably connected to and supporting a roller element with a gear element integral therewith in mesh with the iirst gear; a plurality of sectional cuts in each roller element; four quadrants rigidly aiiixed to said end bearing intermediate the first gear and the outer side element of the housingr member and spaced apart to provide four slots radiating from the axis of the second shaft; a space F intermediate the quadrants and the housing member as a fluid container; the outer end of the second shaft having the cross-sectional character ot a cross, a. link pivotally attached to each rib element `or said cross, ablade within each quadrant slot pivotally connected to its respective linlr element, endwise movements of the second shaft operating to transmit contracting or expanding movement-s to said blades and which under eXpansion thereof and under gear rotation cause said blades to register with the sectional cuts in the roller elements while serving to create a dam for iiuid movements within the space F and correlated parts for clutch purposes.

EDVVARD H. MCKINNEY. 

